with speaking notes - Amnesty International Canada

Who are we?
• Global movement of people fighting injustice
and promoting human rights
• Over 3 million members worldwide
• Tens of thousands of supporters across
Canada
• Work to end human rights abuses at home
and around the world
Why us?
• Launched 2 year campaign to Stop Torture on
May 13, 2014
• Campaigning against torture is in our DNA
• 50+ years of experience
• Successes include the adoption of the
Convention against Torture
• We have the knowledge, expertise, and street
cred to really make a difference
Why now?
• Torture is never justified—never—not under
any circumstances
• Post 9/11 some governments began to justify
torture in the interest of public safety and
national security
• Torture is on the rise
• 141 countries tortured in past 5 years
• Time to Stop Torture once and for all
What is torture?
• Severe physical or mental pain or suffering
• Intentional
• State authorities directly involved or knew and
failed to prevent it
• Done for a specific purpose
Why torture?
• To make people talk
• To make people stay silent
• To punish
• To show results
• To extort money
• Countless other reasons…
How to stop torture
• Torture thrives behind closed doors
• Throw open the doors
• Make sure governments put in place measures
to make sure that the spaces and conditions
where torture occurs aren’t present—these
are called safeguards
What are safeguards?
• Documenting arrests and prison transfers (make sure
people aren’t held incommunicado)
• Having lawyers present at interrogations
• Granting prisoners access to independent healthcare
professionals and services
• Refusing to use information obtained under torture in
court cases
What’s our focus?
• Sound the alarm bell and raise awareness
• Stop Torture everywhere it occurs
• Focus on: Mexico, Philippines, Morocco,
Nigeria, and Uzbekistan
• And Canada too!
Canada
• End Canada`s complicity in torture
• Call for Canada to join the Optional Protocol
to the Convention Against torture
Mexico
• Tortured to sign false
statements used as
evidence to prosecute—to
show Mexico’s crime
fighting ‘success’
• Claudia Medina—
arrested, tortured,
released, lodged
complaint, not seen
justice
Philippines
• Torture thrives because police
can get away with it
• Alfreda—arrested, tortured,
jailed—and waiting for a fair
trial and an investigation into
her torture allegations
Morocco
• Courts accept
confessions made after
someone has been
tortured
• Ali Aarrass—arrested,
extradited to Morocco
despite warnings he
would be tortured, and
he was tortured—and
should be released
Nigeria
• Forced confessions used in court
• Moses—arrested at age 16, tortured,
sentenced to death—for allegedly stealing 3
cell phones
Uzbekistan
• Courts rely on forced confessions
• Dilorom—prisoner of conscience, sought
asylum in Australia, returned home amidst
assurances she would be safe, was arrested at
airport, tortured, and remains in jail
What can you do?
•LEARN
•ACT
•SHARE
Learn
www.amnesty.ca/StopTorture
Act
• Pledge to Stop Torture at
www.amnesty.ca/stoptorture
• Sign our e-actions
• Collect petition signatures
• Write letters
Act
• Stage a photo action and share the photos on
social media
• This one visually shows how you can be the
barrier between the torturer and the tortured
Share
• Spread the word on social media!
• Facebook:
www.facebook.com/AmnestyCanada
• Twitter: @AmnestyNow
• #StopTorture
• #AmnestyCanada
Get involved locally!
• Join your local Amnesty community group
• Join a Stop Torture Street Team and take the
campaign to local festivals, concerts, markets,
etc.
• Want to get involved but not sure where you
“fit” in this campaign? Contact
[email protected]
Thanks!
Together we can Stop Torture!
www.amnesty.ca/StopTorture